The Invisible Computer: Why Good Products Can Fail, The Personal Computer Is So Complex, And Information Appliances Are The Solution

Customers want products that offer convenience, ease of use, and pleasure. To suit today's computer market, Norman, an executive at Hewlett-Packard, shows that companies must start with an understanding of user needs first, and technology last--the opposite of how things are done now. 28 illustrations.

Honorable Mention, Business, Management & Accounting category, 1998 Professional/Scholarly Publishing Annual Awards Competition presented by the Association of American Publishers, Inc. Technologies have a life cycle, says Donald Norman, and companies and their products must change as they pass from youth to maturity. Alas, the computer industry thinks it is still in its rebellious teenage years, exulting in technical complexity. Customers want change. They are ready for products that offer convenience, ease of use, and pleasure. The technology should be invisible, hidden from sight. In this book, Norman shows why the computer is so difficult to use and why this complexity is fundamental to its nature. The only answer, says Norman, is to start over again, to develop information appliances that fit people's needs and lives. To do this companies must change the way they develop products. They need to start with an understanding of people: user needs first, technology last--the opposite of how things are done now. Companies need a human-centered development process, even if it means reorganizing the entire company. This book shows how.